1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to the field of dissemination of information relating to vehicular traffic.
2. Related Art
Some traffic information is available via broadcast, e.g. via radio or TV. Information delivered by this medium is not always available at the desired time. The user must typically wait until the station or channel is ready to announce the information. Also, the user is at the mercy of the data selection preferences of the broadcaster. The broadcaster is limited by the time availability and the expected preferences of the majority of listeners or viewers. These limitations may not allow transmission of the data relevant to a particular user. Also, by the time the information is broadcast, it may be inaccurate.
Drivers can get supplementary traffic conditions via various other media, such as the Internet or calling traffic information numbers; however, the user must take the initiative before travelling which is often unrealistic and wastes the user""s time.
Some information is available in databases maintained by organizations who monitor traffic in urban areas. These may be private organizations that collect government data and information from other sources such as CB radio users and specially positioned traffic watchers. These organizations format traffic data so it is suitable for redistribution to the media. These traffic data, especially those that report abnormal traffic conditions will be referred to here in as xe2x80x9cproblems.xe2x80x9d An example of such a private organization is xe2x80x9cShadow Trafficxe2x80x9d
Traffic information from government organizations may come from sensors embedded in roadways.
WO 00/22593 describes an in-car technique for updating route planning using speed of current traffic and presenting it to a user. There are several difficulties with in-car systems. First they are relatively expensive. Second the necessary radio transmissions to deliver real-time traffic problems are not yet available in the U.S. Third, these systems are only useful once the driver is in the car, and has entered his destination. Generally, the driver will only do this on infrequent trips, e.g. non-commuter trips, or once he or she is already stuck in traffic. Traffic jams cause the user and society to lose time and money, add pollution and generate stress. Once the user is already in traffic, it is already too late to prevent adding to the jam.
It is an object of the invention to improve existing traffic alert systems.
This object is achieved by automatically alerting a user of situations regarding conditions of travel relating to user trip data. The user is alerted using a communication specification desired by the user.
Further objects and advantages will be apparent in the following.